THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 3, 1995 TAG: 9509020361
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MYLENE MANGALINDAN
LENGTH: Short : 42 lines
Semiconductor. Get used to name.
The tiny thumbnail-sized memory chips have entered nearly every facet of modern life. They are best known as the ``brains'' for computers. But they also help make life convenient and expeditious.
They work our coffee makers, microwaves, pagers and phones. They furnish the memories for ``smart cards,'' which store information on credit-sized cards used widely in Europe for transportation, and debit cards. They even make modern automobiles run.
The already explosive demand for chips is expected to double by the year 2000, industry analysts say. The World Semiconductor Trade Statistics projects semiconductor sales of $233 billionby 1998.
The market's phenomenal growth is partly due to the increasing microelectronic content of the average electronic product, said Kevin Brett, a spokesman for the Semiconductor Industry Association.
The U.S. semiconductor industry tallied 1994 sales of $43 billion and accounted for 214,000 jobs. Research and development investment totaled $4.7 billion in 1994. Capital investment was $7.3 billion last year in the United States.
Virginia landed two of the most recently announced computer-chip plants, but others have been announced for Oregon by LSI Logic, Hyundai Electronics America and Intel.
Semiconductor plants cost about $1 billion on average to start up, Brett said. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
STAFF
SEMICONDUCTOR FABRICATION FACILITIES
SOURCE: Seminconductor Industry Association
[For complete graphic, please see microfilm]
by CNB